Marvin’s Dance

How did Marvin Casey go from being an African-American, Church-going hip hop dancer from St. Louis to Yisrael Moshe, a married yeshiva student, part time English teacher living in Ramle, Israel?

Marvin grew up in Chesterfield, Missouri, attending church most Sundays and participating in his church’s youth group. Even though he didn’t really appreciate the meaning of the ritual, at age 17, Marvin was baptized in the church. That was the way it was done and Marvin followed suit.

Marvin decided to leave religion all together and immersed himself with his other love: hip hop dance.

But one week after his baptism, he decided he’d rather work on Sundays. “I just didn’t connect,” he told Aish.com. “There were certain things that didn’t sit with me – I don’t know if in religion in general or in Christianity – that if someone doesn’t believe what I believe, something is wrong with them. I was getting turned off by what I sensed was a disrespect for other faiths. You can’t really make the world a better place like that.”

So Marvin decided to leave religion all together, entering what he calls his “atheist phase.” During this time, Marvin immersed himself with his other love: hip hop dance, on the dance floor almost every night. He would often come home at 2 or 3 in the morning, and wake up for the 7 am shift at his local Sam’s Club, and then attend classes at his local community college.

With his intense dedication, he became a performance dancer. “I was in love with movement,” he said. He eventually transferred to the University of Illinois to join the university dance team.

Although things were going well and Marvin was extremely busy, fundamental questions began to gnaw at him, leaving him feeling somewhat disconnected. “I needed a belief in a higher power to help me connect and to keep me humble. But I didn’t know what I really believed.”

Knowing the potential power of religion, Marvin began to research other faiths at the religion section at his local Borders bookstore, searching for some answers to life’s biggest questions.

Marvin had a number of Jewish friends growing up, and he often asked them philosophical questions based on the ideas he was reading at Borders. “What is the meaning of ‘kosher’?” he asked his friend Josh. His questions sparked lively debates and discussions, leading to more questions, sparking Marvin’s curiosity even further.

“In the Christianity I was exposed to, there is no real need to ask questions. If you love Christ, all your questions are answered. In Judaism, you are supposed to ask questions. That intrigued me and re-energized me. Judaism offered me faith and connection, but it was based on reason and a strong intellectual foundation.”

Discovering Judaism

One day Marvin asked Josh, “Are you going to the Kabbalat Shabbat service this week?”

“Are you serious?” Josh retorted. “I was not planning on going.”

“Well when you do go, can I come?”

“Are you okay?” josh responded with concern.

A week later, Josh made a special trip to a synagogue for Marvin. Marvin was drawn in with the singing. Even this budding semi-professional hip hop dancer found the music “kind of cool.”

Marvin came back for Rosh Hashanah services and tried out another synagogue for Yom Kippur. “I remember standing in front of the Aron haKodesh and everything just felt right,” Marvin recalled.

A few weeks later, Marvin walked in to the office of the synagogue’s rabbi and asked to convert. “I know you are supposed to turn me away three times, so I’d like to get that part out of the way.”

Awkward Moments

Marvin began taking numerous classes on the practices and beliefs of Judaism. During the conversion process, Marvin experienced his share of awkward moments, prying questions, and uncomfortable stares. While his family and friends were fully supportive, that did not make the transition smooth.

Marvin forgot to take off the yarmulke. His buddies were looked at him thinking he was crazy.

At the time, Marvin would go to synagogue on Wednesday nights for the evening minyan and then he’d take off his kippah before heading out to dance with his hip hop buddies. They did not know he was in a conversion process. One night, he was running late. That particular evening, he forgot to take off the yarmulke. His buddies looked at Marvin like he was crazy.

“What’s that thing on your head?”

“A yarmulke,” Marvin replied, as he quickly removed it and stuffed it in his pocket.

“What? You’re not Jewish.”

“Well, actually, I’m converting.”

His friends immediately responded, “You don’t need to take it off in front of us.”

Marvin eventually decided to stop going out on Friday night and to partially observe the Sabbath. At this point his friends were so understanding he wasn’t nervous when he told them, “Guys, I know Friday night is our big night, but I can’t do it anymore.”

“No problem dude, we’ll see you Saturday night.”

While it took them a while to learn and get used to his new customs, they supported Marvin however they could, even providing him kosher food at barbeques and birthday parties. His parents made the same accommodations.

“Before, my role in the group was ‘the black guy.’ Now, I’m the ‘black Jewish guy.’”

Marvin delved into the intellectual side of Judaism. “I love to be intellectually challenged.” The aggressive questioning and independent inquiry in Judaism – balanced by its ironclad moral principles – appealed to both the bookworm in him and to the artistic young free spirit.

He also fell in love with Shabbat. “It’s my time to breathe and not worry about work or about being anywhere other than the present moment.”

Aliya to Israel

Three years after his conversion, Marvin – now Yisrael Moshe – made Aliyah, moving to Israel in 2006. When the plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport, he froze. “I didn’t want to get off the plane! I had a moment where I had second thoughts, the change was too drastic. Making Aliyah is challenging enough, even more so for a black man who didn’t grow up with any Hebrew, with few Jewish friends, and with little Jewish culture. But I decided to stick to my path and with joy and trepidation, I got off that plane.”

“I didn’t want to get off the plane! I had a moment where I had second thoughts, the change was too drastic.”

Beginning his new life in Israel, he received many looks and questions: “Why did you move to Israel?” “Are you Jewish?” There were times people didn’t know whether to count him in their minyan. “I think white converts have an easier time blending in and don’t get the same questions that I did.” To this day, there are times Yisrael doesn’t know if he is being counted.

Nevertheless, he adapted. He joined a major institution in Israel that brings Jews together: the Israel Defense Forces. The military is often called “the melting pot of Israel.” Yisrael is a case in point.

He met Jews who spoke Russian, Spanish, French, English, and Hebrew. He met fellow soldiers of Ethiopian, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Orthodox, secular, and traditional backgrounds. There were times Yisrael would find comfort socializing with other English-speaking soldiers, but when it came time to do the job, he says, they were all brothers. His army experience showed him how “so many facets of the Jewish people can co-exist in one place.”

Life Today

Today, Yisrael lives with his wife Oshrat – a Morrocan-Israeli – in Ramle, Israel, with their two year old son and a five-month-old daughter.

Yisrael teaches English at a high school by day, and teaches hip hop to various clients at night – including some of his rabbis. One of his most rewarding moment in his hip hop career came when he volunteered to teach a group of children with special needs in Ramle. One 10-year-old student with Downs syndrome would never dance. She would hide under the table as Yisrael would turn on the music.

One day, Yisrael met her mother. The woman greeted him with such enthusiasm. “Thank you so much! I know you don’t know me yet but thank you so much!”

When the mother identified herself, Yisrael responded with bewilderment. “Why are you thanking me?” he asked. “Your daughter always hides under the table.”

The mother explained, “When my daughter comes home every day, she turns on music and dances all around the house. She had never been so active but now she is.”

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

Eli Levine is the former managing director of Aish's Hasbara Fellowships, where he endeavored to advocate for Israel on college campuses. He is pursuing a master's degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Eli grew up in San Diego, California.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 18

(15)
roxanne,
March 19, 2014 2:19 AM

for Lorraine

Machon Meir in Israel has a program for women who are interested in deepening their understanding of Judaism. They have some videos on youtube. I hope this helps. (disclaimer - this is not an endorsement, just information)

(14)
Anonymous,
March 18, 2014 7:08 PM

I find it very strange that the description mentions that he is black when describing what he has journeyed from. Certainly he has not stopped being black because he is now a Jew? I ask because I am black, and contemplating Judaism as well, and I am interested (concerned?) in how Jews who also happen to be black are perceived.

April Johnson,
March 19, 2014 11:22 AM

You are not alone, everything will be fine

Don't read too much into the title. If you have been to synagogue by now, you will understand nobody is requiring of you to stop being your race. My husband and I are black, and going thru the conversion process as well. Our mikveh date is coming up in July, can't WAIT! We have been openly received. Yeah, like Yisrael indicates you get the bewildered stares from some, and it can be a little jarring but if you take an impersonal, objective look at the situation you will find that's to be expected. I think it's morbid curiosity more than anything. And if it was anything worse, they sure haven't said it to our faces that's for certain! And for those who love us becoming part of the tribe have gone above and beyond to let us know and usher us in. Worry not! :)

Anonymous,
March 19, 2014 3:20 PM

Thank you

Thank you for your reply. I have not visited a synagogue yet; I've been visiting websites to learn more about them but I will start making visits in the near future.

Anonymous,
March 21, 2014 12:11 AM

You are welcome in the Jewish society

I hope your conversion process will succeed soon! You are right, it's curiosity, but positive not morbid. We like here black Jews. in Israel you'll see a lot of black Jews. Come for a visit and you'll see for yourself! Good luck!

(13)
Izzy,
March 18, 2014 8:24 AM

Amazing journey

Keep up the amazing work Yisrael Moshe!

(12)
Anonymous,
March 18, 2014 8:01 AM

Another Convert from St. Louis

Yisrael Moshe:

I would love to meet you. I am also a convert from St. Louis. I made aliyah 10 years ago.

Converted Jew from U City

(11)
Anne,
March 18, 2014 3:53 AM

Great story

Judaism attracts the intelligent, and the thinker by it's very nature. These converts add so much to the IQ gene pool of the Jewish people, I believe this is one reason the Jewish people are so smart.

(10)
Ra'anan,
March 17, 2014 5:41 PM

so many beautiful neshamoth in Israel!!!

so many beautiful neshamoth in Israel!!!

(9)
Lorraine,
March 17, 2014 4:22 PM

Wow

Reading this made me so happy! I, too, am thinking of converting and have received a ton of support from Jewish friends and my local Hillel. When I was part of a Jewish community I felt like I had a new purpose in life. I wanted to study or volunteer Israel after graduating (I have already been twice) but started getting turned down from several programs, even ones that didn't say they were for Jews only, because I wasn't Jewish. Recently I have started doubting if I could ever really fit in, wondering if I was "just going through a phase", and facing difficult questions about some of Israel's politics. Now I am living in a city in South America with no Jewish community and I have sort of put the process on hold. I still read Aish, but it is sort of bittersweet. Reading Marvin's story however really inspired me, I would love to talk to him if possible.

(8)
Anthony,
March 17, 2014 3:15 PM

Yisrael Moshe is one of many

Many Blacks are ready to convert to Jewish but it seems unreachable so in my case I do it on my own. I'll be visiting Israel very soon this years. In Panama, Panama its not too easy to even go to a Shabbatt, but my conviction is strong and I'll hold on.Way to go Yisrael, I hope to follow you soon.Kwambino

(7)
Meira Shana,
March 17, 2014 2:47 PM

Kvelling

With smile on my face, I'm kvelling while reading Yisrael's story.

G-d bless you and yours. Life is not easy - and you accepted that and added more to your plate.

I know what it felt like landing at Ben Gurion and then how I felt when my feet actually touched the ground.

(6)
moshe kaplan, m.d.,
March 17, 2014 9:50 AM

A great spirit

Jews need to learn from this man. Maybe he can even them become "menschs"and support the ideas of the Be a Mensch Foundation, www.beamensch .com

(5)
Marvin S,
March 17, 2014 7:18 AM

Looks like he leads with his hip then hops with his only leg!

Being a teacher, can he now be referred to as "Rabbi Marvin"?

(4)
Yona Azriel,
March 17, 2014 1:44 AM

"His questions sparked lively debates and discussions, leading to more questions, sparking Marvin’s curiosity even further."

"In Judaism, you are supposed to ask questions. That intrigued me and re-energized me. Judaism offered me faith and connection, but it was based on reason and a strong intellectual foundation.”

“I remember standing in front of the Aharon haKodesh and everything just felt right,” Marvin recalled."

I can quote more, but this is enough to show how happy I am to have read Marvin's account on his journey to becoming a Jew. Though I'm a Black American woman living in Mexico, much older, from a Roman Catholic background, and converted to Judaism in San Diego in my late thirties, his story is soooo similar to mine... Minus the hip-hop dancing, lol.

Mazel tov for your aliyah, and for finding your true place for your soul and mind. May HaShem bless you and your lovely family for all the days of your life.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!